While we're all getting ready to brew the wonderful 09.09.09 Barleywine HBT Anniversary Brew, I thought I might get the ball rolling on the 10-10-2010 brew.

I will not be starting a swap at this time. It's ludicrous to start taking "I'm In"'s this early, as we have a year before we even need to START thinking about brewing this bad mama-jamma. But I would like to brew one on 10-10-08 and 10-10-09, so that is why I am starting this thread so early. When we get closer to 10-10-09, I will volunteer to organize this swap, but will also bow out of the way if someone else would like to organize it (I'm guessing BierMuncher might be ready for a vacation by then!).

So let's talk about the brew.

I am nominating a Strong Scotch Ale for the 10-10-10 brew because I love Wee Heavies, and I think they could age well. Does anyone disagree with a Strong Scotch ale for 10.10.10? Here's the BJCP info for a 9E.

Code:

9E. Strong Scotch Ale
Aroma: Deeply malty, with caramel often apparent. Peaty, earthy and/or smoky secondary aromas may also be present, adding complexity. Caramelization often is mistaken for diacetyl, which should be low to none. Low to moderate esters and alcohol are often present in stronger versions. Hops are very low to none.
Appearance: Light copper to dark brown color, often with deep ruby highlights. Clear. Usually has a large tan head, which may not persist in stronger versions. Legs may be evident in stronger versions.
Flavor: Richly malty with kettle caramelization often apparent (particularly in stronger versions). Hints of roasted malt or smoky flavor may be present, as may some nutty character, all of which may last into the finish. Hop flavors and bitterness are low to medium-low, so malt impression should dominate. Diacetyl is low to none, although caramelization may sometimes be mistaken for it. Low to moderate esters and alcohol are usually present. Esters may suggest plums, raisins or dried fruit. The palate is usually full and sweet, but the finish may be sweet to medium-dry (from light use of roasted barley).
Mouthfeel: Medium-full to full-bodied, with some versions (but not all) having a thick, chewy viscosity. A smooth, alcoholic warmth is usually present and is quite welcome since it balances the malty sweetness. Moderate carbonation.
Overall Impression: Rich, malty and usually sweet, which can be suggestive of a dessert. Complex secondary malt flavors prevent a one-dimensional impression. Strength and maltiness can vary.
Comments: Also known as a "wee heavy." Fermented at cooler temperatures than most ales, and with lower hopping rates, resulting in clean, intense malt flavors. Well suited to the region of origin, with abundant malt and cool fermentation and aging temperature. Hops, which are not native to Scotland and formerly expensive to import, were kept to a minimum.
Ingredients: Well-modified pale malt, with up to 3% roasted barley. May use some crystal malt for color adjustment; sweetness usually comes not from crystal malts rather from low hopping, high mash temperatures, and kettle caramelization. A small proportion of smoked malt may add depth, though a peaty character (sometimes perceived as earthy or smoky) may also originate from the yeast and native water. Hop presence is minimal, although English varieties are most authentic. Fairly soft water is typical.
Vital Statistics:
OG FG IBUs SRM ABV
1.070 - 1.130 1.018 - 1.030+ 17 - 35 14 - 25 6.5 - 10%
Commercial Examples: Traquair House Ale, Orkney Skull Splitter, McEwan's Scotch Ale, MacAndrew's Scotch Ale, Belhaven Wee Heavy, Broughton Old Jock, Scotch du Silly, Gordon Highland Scotch Ale, Founders Dirty Bastard

I am putting forth a possible recipe choice.
If the HBT public would like an official Brewpastor recipe, then I will cede to the masses. I am always honored to brew one of Brewpastor's creations.

Mash at 153*F for 90 minutes. Hopefully this will get us a ton of malty body, but then towards the end (with the extended mash time) also gain us some sugars that will allow this to dry out past the advertised 1.025 FG, which will hopefully put us at 1.100 OG and 10% ABV. According to BeerSmith's calculator, all we need is 1.100 -> 1.024 to achieve 10.0% ABV.

Boil the first 2 qt of First Runnings in a saucepan. Boil vigorously, in order to caramelize the wort, and shoot for about 1 pint of total volume. Add this syrupy wort back to the main kettle .

I like the idea and I like the recipe. That's a simple recipe which is exactly what is called for. I would vote for the WLP028 for the yeast. Would it be wrong if we use US pale malt in place of Maris Otter individually? It's not readily available to me and it's $28 at the cheapest not including shipping online.

If we want to stick to the proper grain and not go with US substitutions may I suggest using Golden Promise instead? It's the same price and it's traditionally grown in Scotland and traditionally used in Scottish ales.

Also, I did a Wee Heavy recently that started at 1.110 and finished at 1.042 before I added beano to get it down to 1.030. That was with WLP004 Irish Ale. That's only 62% attenuation before beano and 73% with. I don't know if it will be better with WLP028 but I think with that high a gravity and a goal to get to 1.025 for FG we may want to outline some really good procedures for facilitating that.

When adding the syrup back to the kettle, is that at beginning of boil or whenever it's finished boiling down to the syrup form?

I have no problem with using Pale 2-Row for the base malt. I just used the MO to appease all the English Beer Fans out there that love their MO. Don't misunderstand me, I love MO too. It's just nearly 20 lbs of it, and I like buying 2-Row by the sack. I was going to write the recipe with Golden Promise, but it wasn't in my BeerSmith for some reason. (Must not've copied the malts over yet.) So, all in all, I think any of these 3 malts would be a fine base.

When adding the syrup back to the kettle, I would add it whenever it's down to an acceptable syrupy level. On my Scottish 80/-, that meant about 30 minutes of watching a kettle outside and a saucepan inside. I'd use a large soup-pot for the indoor pot next time, to give more room for boiling / reduce the chance of a sticky mess. OR have a helpful friend give you a hand at that stage.

Procedures will probably be good oxygenation, and a big honkin' starter. That sound right?

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P-Chef, I'm not opposed to those ideas. I thought that a Scottish 10 might be more widely-brewed perhaps. I know I'm not quite to the level of being able to clone all of these fine, fine Belgian creations. I think the Westvleteren 12 is a great idea. And if I wasn't already drooling over a Scottish beer, I would say a Rochefort 10 is good too.

I just gotta convince myself to like Tripels more. I like Dubbels now, thanks to your beer.

I would drop the crystal and drop the mash to 154 or you won't get down to where you want to get. My Wee heavy in my pulldown goes from 1.081-1.020, so going from 1.100-1.020 is going to be a problem for the yeast and the style. I would not want it dry(1.020 isn't dry but it should be really malty)

I would drop the crystal and drop the mash to 154 or you won't get down to where you want to get. My Wee heavy in my pulldown goes from 1.081-1.020, so going from 1.100-1.020 is going to be a problem for the yeast and the style. I would not want it dry(1.020 isn't dry but it should be really malty)

I agree. I mashed at 156-157 and I think that may have also contributed to my high FG before beano.

Cool. I edited the mash temp in the OP. I haven't edited the crystal yet but I'll try to edit + repost the BeerSmith file in a moment here.. I only did the 4 oz of it for color. I guess we'll get that from caramelizing the first runnings though, won't we?